Equitable Community Development Project

About the project

The Equitable Community Development Project is a solutions-oriented journalism initiative covering economic and community development issues in Southwest Michigan, created by the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative.

Advisory Council

We are forming an Advisory Council for the Equitable Community Development project to begin meeting in Fall 2024 to provide input on economic and community development issues; feedback on editorial coverage; and story ideas and sources for future articles.

Complete list of advisory council members will be announced soon.

Check Out Our Latest Stories From This Project

What actually qualifies as affordable housing in St. Joseph County? We asked a developer, county residents, and more to weigh in

“We’re more powerful as a county and can have more of an impact by having all these talented, smart, dedicated people collaborating on these issues,”

Black Entrepreneur Training Academy Celebrates Fourth Cohort

At a lively event filled with the familiar faces of the Kalamazoo-area entrepreneurship community, the newly graduated fourth cohort of the Black Entrepreneur Training Academy (BETA) celebrated their achievements.

How Kalamazoo racial segregation fueled today’s home affordability problem

The massive white and middle-class flight out of the Northside and the neighborhood‘s economic decline was no accident. It was a result of public and private policies — including racially restrictive housing covenants, steering and redlining — explicitly designed to keep Black residents out of white neighborhoods and segregate Kalamazoo housing by race, all the while starving Black neighborhoods of resources.

Yes, housing really is more unaffordable in Kalamazoo — here’s why

Hatfield is looking around Kalamazoo County for affordability, hoping to stay in Kalamazoo Public Schools, without sacrificing too much in areas like safety. She scours Zillow and other websites to find homes for sale before they disappear. They often go quickly, she said. It’s a common tale in Kalamazoo County. Incomes have risen 19% since 2019 — but housing prices are up 46%. Finding housing that doesn’t break the bank used to be a problem for low-income folks. Now, even households with a decent salary are in a pinch.

Communities and economies get boost from cultural events 

From summertime outdoor concerts to annual festivals focused on specific cultures, Kalamazoo and its surrounding area has no shortage of arts and cultural and events for the public to attend. These events not only reflect and celebrate community identity but also can give cities and neighborhoods an economic boost.
Kids events at the annual Black Arts Festival held in Bronson Park.

Local synagogues and churches rewilding to welcome migratory flocks and other creatures

As a national movement to replace grass-dominated lawns with native plantings catches on, several local faith institutions are rewilding part of their land.

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